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King Oren's Mad Reign
The Reign of Oren Nero is known as the most terrifying reign of any king in Oraclos' history. Oraclos had always been relatively peaceful until Oren forcibly took power and plunged it into a state of constant fear and death. His reign is directly credited for bringing the reincarnation of Cassius Theron into the world but also for creating the environment for which it was necessary. It was brought to an end when he died of illness and his son-in-law, Priam Tyndareus, took power. The First Coup Oren Nero was born under the reign of Queen Tranquil Offiet and became an officer under her son, King Modest. Modest Offiet was young, still a teenager, and his reign was unremarkable in comparison to his mother. His disinterest in taking responsibility showed through his actions, often letting others do his work for him. He frequently toured the kingdom and was hardly ever in the castle, and it was plain that he was a puppet for the council. Oren despised him. It was easy to get a group together to push him out with the rest of the castle fearing financial ruin for the kingdom under Modest's rule. The subtle coup started with some "untimely deaths" of council members and eventually the king himself "fell from his bedroom window". When he took power, Oren completely restructured the castle and court, and the kingdom was stable once more if for a short period of time. Premonition of a Paranoiac In spite of the financial disaster being nipped in the bud, a new problem for the kingdom blossomed. While passing time investigating the sanctum behind the throne, Oren touched the calling stone and received a vision. Tears in the space between Oraclos and Miraclos would form soon, and he had no way of stopping it. He scoured the sanctum for any clues and remembered that it was the place that both Cassius Theron and Miriam Vesta spent the majority of their time. They both died in that very room. The sanctum also held the only likeness of Miriam Vesta without her mask, a portrait hanging opposite a portrait of Cassius on either side of the stained glass window behind the altar. After studying them both, Oren drew a conclusion. They appeared similar to each other, bearing two signature traits: blue hair and pink eyes. Cassius Theron's legend was passed down, along with his dying words proclaiming he would return should his kingdom ever be in peril. This was a good sign for Oren, as he had blue hair, and his wife was expecting. In the months between his discovery and his wife's due date, various rifts appeared around Oraclos, but they would close just as soon as they would open. It was hard to predict where and when Mirans would start to attack, and the pressure eroded Oren's sanity. What would he do even if his child was Cassius reborn? How could a baby stop a war? But, if the child was Cassius reborn, it at least meant his bloodline was chosen by the Goddess Ora. Then, the long-awaited day arrived. His wife gave birth to a son. The official statement from the castle at the time was both mother and child died after the birth, and the grief caused Oren to lose his sanity. It is now known that the child Queen Ceridwen gave birth to did not possess either of the features Oren was hoping for. His son, Seneca Nero, had his mother's traits: black hair and green eyes. Oren had the two of them taken from the castle, carted to a nearby rift, and tossed inside. Immediately after, he fired the entire staff and hired only a few, hand-selected servants to keep the castle. Any unused rooms were boarded off, including the sanctum. In no time at all, Oren was married to a new queen, Queen Corisande, who was known for her striking red hair, beautiful voice and soft, pink eyes. Together, the two of them brought a new child to the world: the lovely Princess Cassandra Katerine hel Nero with raven blue hair and slate gray eyes. Unsatisfied, Oren continued to try for a child with Corisande and would starve her when she did not want to see him. If she failed to conceive, he would strike her. Corisande was confined to her room at all hours and all the staff were forbidden from speaking with her. Cassandra was the only one allowed to see her and was the one to care for her until her death. During these years, more and more rifts would appear, and Oren began to build an army, funneling all of the castle's leftover coin into the best trained and outfitted army he could. Death March of the Mad King Oren took his army on frequent hunts, chasing down Mirans to all corners of Oraclos. If a troupe failed in their hunt, he would shove them through the rift they'd found and send another. Unsurprisingly, the army's numbers dwindled until they ran low on volunteers. From there, he started conscripting the common folk, farmers and shop owners who had never held a weapon in their lives. If they resisted, he would throw them and their families into a rift and move on to the next house. Three men rose to greatness under his command, never failing a single hunt and showing unparalleled skill in battle and strategy: Heracles Nemea, Ronaldo Endriago, and Priam Tyndareus. Cassandra was marrying age, and after Corisande's death, he had run out of opportunities to produce the heir to Cassius Theron's legacy. Though he had red-hued eyes, Ronaldo was already married. Oren could tell that Heracles held a fondness for Cassandra, but his traits were far off the mark: green hair and black eyes. However, Priam had blue hair and gray eyes, and he didn't seem to hate his daughter. The two of them were quickly wed. The Nightmare's Quiet End Priam was supremely popular with the people. While Oren hated his stoic, standoffish attitude, he had to admit that Priam would become a great king. Even Fauna Viridi, one of Oren's Guardians who had a flair for the misanthropic, was often seen with him. The three greats and Fauna were together so often that Oren became suspicious of them. It was hard not to when Heracles followed him around and glared at him when he thought he wasn't looking. But, before he could do anything about it, he became ill with what Fauna declared was "an affliction of the blood". However, his suspicions were assuaged when Fauna looked after him, believing that she did so out of fondness for him. But, his health declined rapidly, and he passed away with hardly a fight. Heracles disappeared from the castle after Priam's coronation, and Fauna and Ronaldo became two of Priam's Guardians. With their help, Priam quickly turned the kingdom around and started it back on the path to healing, again restructuring the entire court He downsized the army until it once again made only of volunteers, and he used the leftover funds to rebuild towns and farmsteads that were destroyed during the hunts. Legacies of Chaos Three years after he became king, Priam and Cassandra's son Kiro was born. Seeing them living a peaceful and happy life angered a leftover member of Oren's court, Luthier Aegypius, eastern lord of Maara and previously one of King Oren's Guardians. Luthier was secretly still loyal to Oren and knew that Priam, Fauna, Ronaldo and Heracles had conspired in the death of Oren Nero. He sought Justice for his king and planned to take them down one by one. Knowing that Fauna liked to wander the forest north of the castle, Luthier set up an ambush. However, he instead met a dark-haired man in a black cloak. The man told him that he knew of his "loathing for the king", and he had a way to both "end the king's life" and "take vengeance on his conspirators" at the same time. In exchange for his help, he need only denounce Ora and accept the lady of chaos into his heart. Luthier agreed to his terms, not caring that he was making a deal with a Miran to avenge his king. He kidnapped the baby prince and demanded that everyone involved in Oren's death meet him atop the southwest tower. Priam sent for Heracles immediately, and the four friends faced Luthier and his guards at the southwest tower of Castle Trilune on the scheduled day. Luthier declared that the baby was the instrument of their fate and that they were fools to trust him at his word. With an unnatural ability, he shrouded the tower in shadow and flew into the air, leaving his corrupted guards to make quick work of Priam and the others. He intended to drop the child to its death, but as he prepared to let go, Ronaldo, in dragon form, seized him and tore the prince from his grip. He brought Luthier back to the ground where he and his guards were swiftly put to the sword. Not one word was whispered about the man in black, and he remained a mystery for eighteen more years. Category:History